I usually post items on rare fruit trees in sequence, but I am posting this one on a common fruit tree because of its medical implications. Some medicines react with grapefruit in a way that could prove harmful or deadly. I hope this information is useful to you.

Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the grapefruit (Citrus × paradisi) is a subtropical citrus tree known for its bitter fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; and it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock (C. maxima), one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange (C. × sinensis).These evergreen trees usually grow to around 5–6 meters (16–20 ft) tall, although they can reach 13–15 meters (43–49 ft). The leaves are dark green, long (up to 150 mm, 6 inches) and thin. It produces 5 cm (2 in) white four-petaled flowers. The fruit is yellow-orange skinned and largely an oblate spheroid; it ranges in diameter from 10–15 cm. The flesh is segmented and acidic, varying in color depending on the cultivars, which include white, pink and red pulps of varying sweetness. The 1929 US Ruby Red (of the Redblush variety) has the first grapefruit patent.History1750 Engraving of The Forbidden Fruit Tree by Georg Dionysius EhretOne ancestor of the grapefruit was the Jamaican sweet orange (Citrus sinensis), itself an ancient hybrid of Asian origin; the other was the Indonesian pomelo (C. maxima). One story of the fruit's origins is that a certain "Captain Shaddock” brought pomelo seeds to Jamaica and bred the first fruit. However, it probably originated as a naturally-occurring hybrid FORBIDDEN-FRUIT-TREEThe Trunk, Leaves, and Flowers of this Tree, very much resemblethose of the Orange-tree.The Fruit, when ripe, is something longer and larger than the largestOrange; and exceeds, in the Delicacy of its Taste, the Fruit of everyTree in this or any of our neighbouring Islands.It hath somewhat of the Taste of a Shaddock; but far exceeds that, aswell as the best Orange, in its delicious Taste and Flavour.—Description from Hughes' 1750 Natural History of Barbados.The hybrid fruit, then called "the forbidden fruit", was first documented in 1750 by a Welshman, Rev. Griffith Hughes, who described specimens from Barbados in The Natural History of Barbados. Currently, the grapefruit is said to be one of the "Seven Wonders of Barbados."The grapefruit was brought to Florida by Count Odet Philippe in 1823 in what is now known as Safety Harbor. Further crosses have produced the tangelo (1905), the Minneola tangelo (1931), and the oroblanco (1984).The grapefruit was known as the shaddock or shattuck until the 19th century. Its current name alludes to clusters of the fruit on the tree, which often appear similar to grapes. Botanically, it was not distinguished from the pomelo until the 1830s, when it was given the name Citrus paradisi. Its true origins were not determined until the 1940s. This led to the official name being altered to Citrus × paradisi, the "×" identifying its hybrid origin.An early pioneer in the American citrus industry was Kimball Chase Atwood, a wealthy entrepreneur who founded the Atwood Grapefruit Co. in the late 19th century. The Atwood Grove became the largest grapefruit grove in the world, with a yearly output of 80,000 boxes of fruit. It was there that pink grapefruit was first discovered in 1906.Ruby Red grapefruitThe 1929 Ruby Red patent was associated with real commercial success, which came after the discovery of a red grapefruit growing on a pink variety. Only with the introduction of the Ruby Red did the grapefruit transform into a real agricultural success. The Red grapefruit, starting with the Ruby Red, has even become a symbolic fruit of Texas, where white "inferior" grapefruit were eliminated and only red grapefruit were grown for decades. Using radiation to trigger mutations, new varieties were developed to retain the red tones which typically faded to pink, the Rio Red variety is the current (2007) Texas grapefruit with registered trademarks Rio Star and Ruby-Sweet, also sometimes promoted as "Reddest" and "Texas Choice". [source - retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit on //2013]In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].

The negative and/or the danger presented by this most healthful of fruit juices.

First the health benefits of this fruit:

Rich in the Nutritional Powerhouse Vitamin CGrapefruit is an excellent source of vitamin C, a vitamin that helps to support the immune system. Vitamin C-rich foods like grapefruit may help reduce cold symptoms or severity of cold symptoms; over 20 scientific studies have suggested that vitamin C is a cold-fighter. Vitamin C also prevents the free radical damage that triggers the inflammatory cascade, and is therefore also associated with reduced severity of inflammatory conditions, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. As free radicals can oxidize cholesterol and lead to plaques that may rupture causing heart attacks or stroke, vitamin C is beneficial to promoting cardiovascular health. Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in this nutrient is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes including heart disease, stroke and cancer.Enjoy Benefits from the Antioxidant LycopeneThe rich pink and red colors of grapefruit are due to lycopene, a carotenoid phytonutrient. (PLEASE NOTE: Lycopene is only found in pink and red grapefruit. White grapefruit does not provide this carotenoid.) Lycopene appears to have anti-tumor activity. Among the common dietary carotenoids, lycopene has the highest capacity to help fight oxygen free radicals, which are compounds that can damage cells.Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich foods, such as pink grapefruit, and drink green tea may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.)In this case-control study involving 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospital controls, men drinking the most green tea were found to have an 86% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared, to those drinking the least.A similar inverse association was found between the men's consumption of lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya, and guava. Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods. [source - retrieved from http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=25 on //2013]Now the negatives and dangers of grapefruit:

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice have the potential to interact with numerous drugs.[1] Organic compounds, furanocoumarin derivatives, interfere with the hepatic and intestinal enzyme cytochrome P450 isoform CYP3A4 and are believed to be primarily responsible for the effects. Bioactive compounds in grapefruit juice may also interfere with P-glycoprotein and organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs) either increasing or decreasing bioavailability of a number of drugs.

Affected drugsThis list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.The following drugs are affected by CYP3A4 inhibition with grapefruit compounds:* The benzodiazepines triazolam (Halcion), orally administered midazolam (Versed), orally administered triazepam (Mogodon), diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax) and quazepam* ritonavir (Norvir) inhibits CYP3A4 preventing the metabolism of protease inhibitors* sertraline (Zoloft and Lustral)Additional drugs found to be affected by grapefruit juice include, but are not limited to:* Some statins such as atorvastatin (Lipitor), lovastatin (Mevacor), and simvastatin (Zocor, Simlup, Simcor, Simvacor) but not Pravastatin (Pravachol), fluvastatin (Lescol) or rosuvastatin (Crestor) which are unaffected by grapefruit.* Dihydropyridines including felodipine (Plendil), nicardipine (Cardene), nifedipine, nisoldipine (Sular), nitrendipine (Bayotensin)* losartan (Cozaar)* The cough suppressant dextromethorphan[citation needed]* modafinil (Provigil, Alertec, Modavigil, Modalert, Modiodal, Modafinilo, Carim, Vigia)[citation needed]* repaglinide (Prandin)[7]* verapamil (Calan SR, Covera HS, Isoptin SR, Verelan* buspirone (Buspar) Grapefruit juice increased peak and AUC plasma concentrations of buspirone 4.3- and 9.2-fold, respectively, in a randomized, 2-phase, ten-subject crossover study. [9]* levothyroxine (Eltroxin, Levoxyl, Synthroid) Effects of grapefruit juice on the absorption of levothyroxine.* Antiarrhythmics including amiodarone (Cordarone), dronedarone (Multaq), quinidine (Quinidex, Cardioquin, Quinora), disopyramide (Norpace), propafenone (Rhythmol), and carvedilol (Coreg)* Antihistamines astemizole (Hismanal) and terfenadine (Seldane) - now removed from the US and Canadian markets* cisapride (Prepuslid, Propulsid) (which treats GERD) - now removed from the US and Canadian markets* Erectile dysfunction drugs sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra)* The anti-migraine drugs ergotamine (Cafergot, Ergomar), amitryptiline (Elavil, Endep, Vanatrip) and nimodipine (Nimotop)[7]* Fluvoxamine (Luvox, Faverin, Fevarin and Dumyrox)[12]* Codeine and Tramadol.[13] It reduces the amount of codeine converted by CYP3A4 into norcodeine thus increasing the amount metabolized into morphine. Morphine itself, however, is not affected by grapefruit juice, as it is not metabolized by the cytochrome P450 system.* Cyclosporine (Neoral). Blood levels of cyclosporine are increased if taken with grapefruit juice. A plausible mechanism involves the combined inhibition of enteric CYP3A4 and P-glycoprotein, which potentially leads to serious adverse events (e.g., nephrotoxicity).Blood levels of tacrolimus (Prograf) can also be equally affected for the same reason as with cyclosporine. [both drugs are calcineurin inhibitors]* omeprazole (Losec, Prilosec)* zolpidem (Ambien) Little or no interaction with grapefruit juice.* oxycodone (Oxycodone is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 system, specifically CYP3A4, of which the bergamottin flavonoid is a strong inhibitor)* hydrocodone (The hepatic cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP2D6 converts it into hydromorphone, a more potent opioid.)* dihydrocodeine* quetiapine (Seroquel)* methadone Inhibits the metabolism of methadone and raises serum levels.* buprenorphine Metabolized into norbuprenorphine by cytochrome-P450 isoenzyme 3A4* Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including imatinib (Gleevec) and nilotinib (Tasigna), used to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors.* trazodone (Desyrel) Little or no interaction with grapefruit juice.[15]* Anthelmintics (Used for treating certain parasitic infections, includes praziquantel albendazole and mebendazole)* carbamazepine (Tegretol) Grapefruit or grapefruit juice slows the breakdown of this drug, increasing the level of it in blood* imatinib (Gleevec) Although no formal studies with imatinib and grapefruit juice have been conducted, the fact that grapefruit juice is a known inhibitor of the CYP 3A4, suggests that co-administration may lead to increased imatinib plasma concentrations. Likewise, although no formal studies were conducted, co-administration of imatinib with another specific type of citrus juice called Seville orange juice (SOJ) may lead to increased imatinib plasma concentrations via inhibition of the CYP3A isoenzymes. Seville orange juice is not usually consumed as a juice because of its sour taste, but it is found in marmalade and other jams. Seville orange juice has been reported to be a possible inhibitor of CYP3A enzymes without affecting P-glycoprotein when taken concomitantly with cyclosporine.* Loperamide (Imodium)[citation needed]* colchicine (Colcrys)[citation needed]* erlotinib (Tarceva)* In a mouse study, blood concentrations of acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol) were found to be increased by white and pink grapefruit juice, with the white juice acting faster. [source - retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit_drug_interactions on //2013]Now to know the truth, go to:

Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!